Raggedy Pan
by thejollydoctor
Summary: The Doctor takes the newly remodeled Tardis for a test run and accidentally crashes on an island on a distant planet. He realizes something is wrong when he discovers an 18th century pirate ship and a group of boys from Victorian London.
1. Intro - Tell Me A Story

Amy ran into the Tardis, followed by the Doctor, who slammed the doors shut behind him.

"That was close," Amy panted, "Too close. Can we take a break for a little while?"

"A break! Whatever would you want a break for?" The Doctor protested. "Adventures are all about the running. It's good exercise."

He smiled and turned to the control console to pull a few switches and turn some nobs. The Tardis whirred and they were in flight.

"You could tell me a story instead," Amy suggested, "I'd like to know about the adventures you had before we met."

The Doctor turned around again, only this time he wasn't smiling.

"Why would you want to know that?" He asked, "Things are much better the way they are now."

"Well you don't have to tell me anything too personal, I'd just like to know what you do when you're alone." Amy explained. She could tell she'd stirred up unpleasant memories.

"Alone?"

"Well, when you're not traveling with a companion."

"Alright, Pond," he said, sitting down, "Do you remember when I left after our prisoner zero adventure?"

"Yes," Amy groaned.

"I came back, two years later," The Doctor continued. "Just a short while ago now. I told you I had taken the Tardis on a quick trip to make sure everything was stable."

Amy sat in the chair next to him and listened intently.

"Yes?" she urged.

"Well I actually went off and had an adventure."

"Without me?" Amy asked angrily.

"I told you, I wasn't sure the Tardis was stable. I didn't want to risk your safety; and it was a very good thing, too, because the Tardis warning lights came on shortly after I took off," He looked over at the console and back at Amy, "I hate those lights. They aren't even good for anything! They blink almost every time we're in flight-"

"Just get on with the story, Doctor," Amy interrupted.


	2. Chapter 1 - Crashing!

The red warning lights blared through the darkening Tardis.

"Come on, don't do this to me, you dinosaur!" The Doctor mumbled, "You just remodeled yourself, and you're already having trouble?"

The Tardis gave a sputter and brightened for a moment in protest to his insult. The lights went out and the only light left in the Tardis was that of the Matrix itself. Heat was building up inside and The Doctor knew they were falling- fast!

"Come on, old girl!" He urged, "I didn't mean it. You're amazing as Type 40s go, but you've got to try harder!"

He pushed a few buttons and cranked a nob, but it was too late. There was a loud crash and everything went black.

He woke up five minutes later, sprawled on the floor. Or was it an hour later? Or was it even the floor? It looked more like the ceiling to him. Then again, it could have been the floor of a different room.

He stood and looked up. The console shone dimly above him like an old chandelier.

"Just as I thought," he sighed, "You've landed upside down, dear. If you'd call that a landing, that is."

He crawled across the wavy "floor" to the doors, which were a few steps higher than he'd have liked, and flung them wide open to reveal a mob of branches. Pushing them aside, he saw that all around him were monstrous trees and brilliantly colored flowers. This was definitely a tropical climate, probably an island. Not an Earth island, mind you, these trees were native to a much stranger galaxy.

"What a pickle we've gotten ourselves into," The Doctor said to the Tardis. "I'd better find out what's wrong with you."

He stepped back inside and craned his neck to see the console, but he could barely make out the controls. A ladder would have been useful, but it was too dark to go wandering through the Tardis.

The Doctor decided to go outside and determine where he was, for the scanner was out of his reach. He wandered through the pathway of enormous trees until he came to a small stream leading into a cove. His eyes immediately darted to a large object in the sea.

"A pirate ship! A genuine 1780s French pirate ship," he gasped, "What is that doing there?"

"Oi! Turn around slowly," a young voice said.

The Doctor did as instructed and saw a group of young English boys pointing Indian bows and arrows at him.

"Who're you?" the boy in the front asked.

"I'm The Doctor. You can call me 'Doctor'."

"Doctor Who?"

"Just 'Doctor', if you don't mind. Could you tell me where I am?"

"I do mind. I want to know your name!" The boy raised his bow to the level of The Doctor's nose.

"Alright, my name's Smith, Doctor John Smith, now please lower that thing before you hurt somebody."

"John Smith? Are you kidding?"

"My parents had a poor sense of humor."

"Fine," the leader said, "Lower your weapons, boys. He doesn't look like a pirate."

"Could be a disguise," said the smallest boy.

"I assure you, I'm not a pirate. I came here by accident. Can you tell me where I am?"

"I thought you always knew where you were, Doctor," Amy interrupted mockingly.

"I haven't been to every planet in the galaxy, Amy. Even if I had been to this one, it may've been centuries ago and in a different region," The Doctor explained.

"Sorry to hurt your feelings, Doc," Amy smirked.


	3. Chapter 2 - Magic Cracks

The boys put down their bows and looked at the Doctor inquisitively.

"Are you English?" asked a boy in the back. He eyed The Doctor's apparel.

"Ah, no. I'm not from anywhere near your home-" The Doctor began.

"French?" the leader guessed. "The pirates came from France."

"No, you see, I'm not from your planet," he explained. "Now of you don't mi-"

"Are you a Martian?" The youngest squeaked.

"No, I'm not a Martian. You wouldn't know what I was if I told you, so would anyone mind telling me where we are and how you got here?"

"We're on a strange island far from home and we got here the same way as you, I should expect," the leader replied. He looked slightly irritated.

"And how was that?"

"Do you really not know?"

"It's all a bit of a blur, really."

The leader pointed to a patch of sky above the cove. A long, thin crack of light was floating about ten meters behind the pirate ship.

"We came through those magic cracks," he explained.

"There was a split in the air, a flash of light, and then we were here!" said a boy in the back of the group.

Hold on," Amy said. "Were these cracks like the crack in my wall?"

"Exactly. They possibly came from the same source."

"You mean you never found out?"

"No. I only knew that they were a form of temporal rift and that I needed to deal with them. I kept this quiet at first because I didn't want to confuse the boys. Instead I simply turned around and said…"

"I see. Well, maybe later we can try to get back home, but for now I'd like to know your names."

"Why?"

"I gave you mine, and I don't want to call you 'Thing One'."

"Fine," the leader said hotly, "My name's Nibs."

"I'm Tootles," said the youngest.

"They call me Slightly," said the boy in the back.

"Twins," said the two others.

"Hold on, Doctor, you can't be telling me you met the Lost Boys!" Amy protested.

"Met them? You don't know the half of it."

"Stop joking, please."

"I'm not. These were the boys that Mr. Barrie based his play on."

"Is Peter Pan real, too?" Amy put her face between her hands disbelievingly.

"I'm getting there," The Doctor said, "For some reason or another, I hadn't heard of Peter Pan until a few weeks ago, so I was unfamiliar with these names. I was, however, aware that they were making them up."

"Why do they call you Slightly?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't know. They just do," Slightly shrugged.

"What are your real names?"

"You didn't give us yours, so why should we give you ours?" Nibs questioned.

"Oh, you're good. They should've called you 'Sharpie'," The Doctor replied. "Fine. I won't ask your real names so long as you listen to my advice. I can get us out of here with your help."

"Hold on. We don't know that we can trust you yet, Mister," Nibs said. "You're going to the Indian village."


	4. Chapter 3 - Trust Me

The boys marched The Doctor up a rocky slope to the Indian village. The village consisted of a small circle of tepees located in a clearing on the edge of the forest. The Doctor could tell these Indians were part of a great civilization, they had advanced tools and weapons, but only a portion of the village was taken by the temporal rift as it expanded.

As they approached the Indians stopped their chores and came to meet them in the center of the village. A strong-built man with a large feathered headband came forward and demanded silence from the crowd. It was the chief.

"Who is this that you have brought, boy?" he said to Nibs.

"A stranger we found around the cove. He says he's not a pirate, and he calls himself 'The Doctor'," Nibs explained.

"He is perhaps the doctor to the pirates, and a liar," the Chief guessed.

"I am not a pirate," the Doctor insisted. "I came here by accident. I just want to help you get home and be on my way. The cracks you came through are a form of temporal rift; a sort of gateway from one world to another. If you help me I can reopen them and get you back home."

The boys looked at him with an expression of puzzlement, but the chief's face remained blank.

"How can you help us? And what do you expect us to do?" he asked.

"Did he really speak English that well?" Amy asked.

"No, he was speaking Native American. The Tardis was wrecked but the translator still worked so I knew for certain I could help them."

"How is that?"

"If I could get the Tardis functioning properly, the fabrication dispenser could create a sonic device that would temporarily reopen the cracks."

"You mean the one you have now?" Amy questioned. "I saw you take that one out of the Tardis myself."

"No, something happened to it. I had to set the Tardis to make another after that."

"What happened to it?"

"Oh, hush. You'll find out."

The Doctor explained the situation to the crowd and waited for a response. The Indians murmured, the Chief mused, and the boys stood intently watching him.

"This tool maker of which you speak," the Chief began, "How did you come to own it?"

"The Tardis?" The Doctor asked.

The Chief nodded.

"It is one of many made by my people that is given to each of us, when we pass certain… tests."

It was an awkward explanation. The Doctor had stolen the Tardis centuries before, which in the eyes of the Indians was likely considered piracy.

The Chief turned to Nibs and said something to him in sign language. Nibs replied with what appeared to be a salute, and huddled with the boys to share the message.

"Show us this 'Tardis' so we can help you," Nibs said.

"Alright, just don't touch anything," The Doctor agreed, "We wouldn't want to ruin our chances altogether."


	5. Chapter 4 - The Tardis

The sun was starting to go down when they made it back to the Tardis, and hardly a thing could be seen inside.

"We might need to wait 'til morning," The Doctor said. "It's too dark, and I can't fix the console with no light."

"Don't you have any lanterns?" Nibs asked.

"No, the Tardis has a generator that controls the lights."

"I think it's coming back on."

"How do you mean?"

The Doctor looked around and saw that the lights were slowly getting brighter and a quiet humming could be heard.

"Oh, of course! It's the time rifts. The Tardis is absorbing the energy from them and recharging herself."

He slowly climbed up the middle of the console and took off part of the mechanical panel to peek inside.

"Good gracious! The fluid link is disconnected," he frowned and looked down at Nibs. "She won't be able to fly until I fix it."

"We aren't going to go home, are we?" Nibs groaned.

"Now, hold on. Think happy thoughts! The Tardis definitely won't fly if you keep thinking like that, and we need her for my plan to work. It should only take a while to reconnect this."

"What can I do to help?" Nibs asked.

"Well, the fabrication panel is just out of my reach. If I lifted you up could you reach that handle- just there- and take a peek inside?"

Nibs nodded and climbed onto The Doctor's shoulders. He tugged hard at the handle and the panel popped off with a clang.

"Nibs, tell me what you see."

"Looks like- a bunch of funny strings tangled up and covered with dust."

"Do you see any copper-colored residue on the, the um, 'strings'?"

"No. Just dust and strings. They all seem to be in place apart from the tangles."

"Good! Here's the panel," The Doctor said, "Snap that back on and press that button- right there."

Nibs did as instructed and climbed down from The Doctor's shoulders.

"Good news everyone!" The Doctor smiled, "The fabrication panel is in order, and after a while my sonic screwdriver will be ready."

"Is that the tool that opens the cracks?" Slightly asked.

"Yes, it is. But it might need to charge after each crack opens and you'll only have two minutes to get through before they close again."

"How long will it take for your tool to be ready?"

"Possibly up to a few hours."

"Then let's explore! We've only gotten to see half the island, and I want to see it all before we go home."

"I wouldn't recommend that. We're on another planet, and we don't know what creatures might live here," The Doctor disagreed.

"That's what I want to find out," Slightly said.


	6. Chapter 5 - The Lagoon

The Doctor and the boys hiked through the forest in the direction of the cove.

"Do we have a specific destination?" The Doctor asked.

To him, long walks were pointless unless they served a purpose or the scenery was fresh. So far everything in the forest looked the same, and he was getting bored.

"We caught a glimpse of a lagoon on the other half of the island," Slightly said. "I was hoping to see more of it."

"How long have you been on this island, Slightly?"

"A day or two. The Indians have been here longer, though."

"What about the pirates?"

"We saw them sail through an open crack a few hours after we arrived."

They walked as they talked, and The Doctor gradually learned more about the situation. Apparently the pirates had seemed unalarmed by their transportation, although none of the boys had been bold enough to find out why. This excited The Doctor.

"French pirates from the 1700s are transported to a new world in a flash of light and they just accept it without a fuss?"

The boys nodded.

"That's interesting."

"Not as much as this is, Doctor," Nibs said.

The Doctor walked over to him and peered past the bushes. About three meters away, a white crack glowed in midair.

"Another one!" The Doctor gasped, "Have you seen this one before?"

"No," Nibs replied, "We haven't been to this part of the forest. Nobody we know came from here."

"Then we shouldn't leave this crack unattended. Somebody may still come through. Does anyone want to stay behind and guard it?"

"I will!" offered Tootles.

"Tootles, you're the youngest, you can't stay here alone," Nibs protested.

"We'll stay, too," the Twins said after a quick conference.

"Well that should do it," the Doctor agreed. "If something comes through there, it probably won't be dangerous. All the same, I'd appreciate it if you boys would hide behind the trees so you won't be noticed."

Tootles and the Twins nodded and sat down behind a large bush near the crack. Nibs gestured for Slightly to keep walking and they headed for the lagoon.

"Lovely lagoon, this is," the Doctor said as they arrived, "A bit gloomy, but the rocks are quite pretty. Where to next?"

"Hush!" Nibs ordered, "Did you hear that? Someone's rowing."

Sure enough, the silhouette of a rowboat drifted far in the distance. Three figures sat inside; a tall one with a big hat, a shorter one with curly hair, and a very thin, bald one.

"Pirates," Slightly whispered. "They're bloomin' pirates! Let's go back while we have the chance."

"Oh, hush!" The Doctor said, "You boys stay here, I'm going to speak with them."

"What?" they squawked.

"They'll kill you," Nibs protested.

"No they won't. They won't kill me until they know what I'm up to, and by the time they know what I'm up to they won't want to kill me."

The Doctor ran up to the water's edge as the boys shrunk back into the forest. The rowing stopped and the silhouettes turned towards The Doctor. Before the pirates could speak he shouted:

"Oi, people! Over here!"


	7. Chapter 6 - A Word With The Captain

Being captured by pirates was not quite as fun as The Doctor expected, but it served the purpose he intended. He was standing in the middle of the deck with armed pirates all around him. His head throbbed, but he tried not to think about that.

"What is your name, and what are your intentions?" the captain asked.

"Your ship came to this island through a large crack, am I right?"

"How does this answer my question?" The captain growled. He raised a sword to The Doctor's throat.

"Please, just let me do the talking and answer any questions I ask you. Trust me, I'm The Doctor; your lives could depend on it," he insisted. "You sailed through a crack in your world and wound up here, in this world. The crack you came through closed up, and now you can't get back, yes?"

The captain was perplexed by The Doctor's knowledge of their situation, and angered by his impertinence, but he chose to answer the question anyway.

"Yes. What is it to you?"

"Whoa, whoa. You're doing it again, Doctor." Amy interrupted. "Pirates do NOT talk like that. You're getting all the dialects wrong."

"No I'm not. That's how the Tardis translated them. Earth languages are very complicated, and the translations sometimes get confused."

"I think you're just paraphrasing."

"A bit. What does it matter? Storytelling requires embellishment."

"I can help you get back. None of you should be here, and the cracks could cause a minor flux in time. You need to return home so they can close," The Doctor explained.

"Time could what?"

"Time could change a bit. In a bad way. You need to get home."

The captain lowered his sword and frowned. "Get this man to the sick bay," he ordered. "Clearly his mind was muddled when he came through the cracks."

"I'm not ill," The Doctor protested, "and I did not come here through a crack. Unlike the rest of you, I'm not from Earth. I know what is going on; I can help!"

This seemed to capture the captain's attention, who turned with his head cocked slightly.

"We are free from the royal navy here. We will never be caught or killed, and we can live out our days happily on this lush island. What makes you think we want your help?"

"To begin with, I imagine it would be lonely here," the Doctor said softly. "Don't any of you have family, or close friends in your world? If you don't go back, you'll never see them again."

A short man standing near the mast took a step toward the captain.

"I have a wife living in Spain. She's expecting me to be home for Christmas," he said.

"Aye, and I have a sick brother who needs me," said another man.

Soon all of the crewmen were clamoring about their relatives and friends that they might never see again.

"I couldn't bear to live without seeing my wife again," the first man shouted above the noise.

"QUIET! You all know why we cannot go home," the captain bellowed. "We do not need or want your assistance, 'Doctor'."

"Well, that's a mistake," the Doctor said in a hushed voice. "Now I'll have to force you to comply."

With that the crew erupted with laughter. After a moment the captain raised his hand in request for silence.

"Men, throw him off the ship!" he sneered.

Two of the crewman stepped forward and grabbed The Doctor's arms, dragging him to the edge of the ship.

He wasn't frightened at first, because he thought he could just swim away. Then it occurred to him that the pirates weren't intending to let him go that easily. So what was in the water?

His answer came when a patch of dark scales appeared above the surface. A crocodilian reptile was waiting for him below.


	8. Chapter 7 - A Problem

The Doctor dangled over the edge of the ship, holding tightly to the side. One of the crewmen was about to club The Doctor's hand when a shout came from the crow's nest.

"Fire! Fire! The main topsail is on fire!"

The two pirates turned and looked up at the sail in horror. Someone had started shooting flaming arrows at the ship's sails!

Looking towards the shore, The Doctor realized that it was Slightly and Nibs shooting at the ship. They must have realized he wouldn't be able to handle the pirates on his own, and ran to the cove.

The pirates were running around frantically on the deck now, scooping up the seawater in wooden pails to extinguish the fire with. They had all forgotten The Doctor now, so he climbed back on board to evaluate the situation.

In the center of the deck the pirates were busy with the fire. Behind The Doctor, a crocodile was waiting in the water to eat him. On the shore, to his left, two little boys waited for him. The only escape was through the crowd and over the other side of the ship.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up and worked his way as casually as he could through the commotion. The fire was going down now, and he was almost off the ship. Nibs and Slightly stood waving their arms on the beach, signaling 'We're here; hurry up!', but The Doctor couldn't find a foothold.

"Oi! Get back here, you!" the captain yelled.

The Doctor had been spotted. The ruffian shoved his crewmen aside and held a sword to The Doctor's throat.

"You say you want to help, but you set my ship on fire!"

"My friends were just trying to help me esca-" The Doctor began.

The captain moved forward to kill the Doctor, too angry to tolerate explanations. The Doctor, predicting the sailor's intentions, grabbed the sword's hilt, twisted it out of his attacker's hand, and threw himself over the ship's side. The captain screamed with anger.

Bobbing to the sea's surface, The Doctor took a moment to process what he had done. The sword seemed to have given a strange resistance as he pulled it away from the pirate.

"Surely it was nothing," he thought as he swam to shore.

The Doctor's narration was interrupted once again by a loud shriek from Amy.

"Oh, I think I get it!" she squealed. "Doctor, I know what's going on."

"Hush, Amy," The Doctor said, "I haven't gotten to the best bit yet."

"So, how'd it go?" Nibs asked sarcastically.

"Not as well as I'd have liked," The Doctor replied, "but I've emerged enlightened."

He walked off gravely in the direction of the Tardis. Nibs followed and silently bade Slightly to do the same.

"Shouldn't we get back to Tootles and the Twins?" Nibs asked when they reached the Tardis.

"I need to check the fabrication dispenser first."

"You seem troubled."

"The pirates refused to cooperate. I'll have to find a way to send them back on my own."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Nibs asked. "Even if you just want me to hold something I'd be glad to."

The Doctor had been mostly unresponsive to Nibs' statements. Now, taking his eyes off the console for the first time, he looked down at Nibs and smiled.

"Here," he said, handing Nibs a glass tube with green rings around it. "Hold this."

"What is this thing?" Nibs asked, rolling it over in his palm.

"That's the fluid link. Don't drop it, it runs on mercury."

"How does it run on a planet?"

"No, not the planet, the chemical! Hatters use it sometimes," The Doctor explained. "It also makes a good power source."

"Oh. So what does it do?"

"It powers the link."

"I meant what does the fluid link do?"

"Well." The Doctor paused to think for a moment. "It basically acts as a power source for the Tardis."

"So the Tardis runs on mercury."

"Indirectly, yes," The Doctor agreed, "She also powers herself from other sources, such as time rifts. I imagine that's why she came here."

"I-It's alive?"

"Technically, yes. She has a soul."

Nibs began to look sick, so The Doctor decided to take the link back, incase the boy were to faint.

"So," Nibs said after a pause, "the link is very important, isn't it?"

"Yes," The Doctor replied. "It's very bad that it came undone, but I imagine it shouldn't be too hard to put back."

"How is it bad, exactly?"

"Without the link the Tardis has little or no power, so until I replace this she's stuck."

"How did you know it had come off?"

"I didn't. I was checking the main circuit and fabrication dispenser."

"And how are they doing?"

"Absolutely fine. The sonic should be ready in a few hours, but the main circuit will still be repairing itself."

"It'll be sundown by then," said Slightly, who had been watching the sky. "Shouldn't we go find Tootles and the Twins?"

"That's fine. If I get the fluid link reconnected the Tardis lights will work again," The Doctor reassured him. "Then we can check on them."


	9. Chapter 8 - Wendy

After The Doctor fixed the fluid link the lights inside the Tardis brightened, causing it's exterior to glow. From the outside it looked like a giant had placed a funny blue lantern in the tree. The Doctor worried that this might attract the pirates if they saw the light through the woods, so he rerouted the extra power to the fabrication dispenser to speed the creation of the sonic screwdriver.

"Now it should take less than half the time," The Doctor said. "Let's go find the others."

The threesome marched into the woods with a new confidence that their escape was near, all the while keeping a sharp eye on the shadows now growing around them. The sun was almost gone now, but the flaming orange sky was enough to light their way for another hour. As they approached the crack that the others were watching, they noticed a strange white light getting bigger and bigger. Tootles and the Twins were cowering behind a nearby tree.

"Doctor!" Tootles ran to meet him. "The crack … it's opening."

"Twins," The Doctor called, "Step away from the light. Some cracks can be dangerous."

"Doctor, what do you mean 'dangerous'?"

"Don't worry, the one is your bedroom was probably safe," The Doctor assured Amy.

"Probably?!"

"It didn't even glow until I opened it. At the most it gave you strange dreams."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," The Doctor lied.

"How come you know so much about these?" Nibs asked.

"I've encountered them before."

"Oh."

The crack was wide enough now that they could see colors through it. It was either late at night on the other side, or the crack was blocking the sun, because it was dark in the room before them.

One bed lay in the middle of the room, with a nightstand on the righthand side. A bookshelf lined the wall to the onlookers' left, and a door leading out was on the right. Next to that door was a dressing table, with jewelry boxes stacked neatly on top. The time period was difficult for The Doctor to guess at first, but as soon as the girl to whom the room belonged to entered he could plainly see that it was the 1950s.

"Good Lord!" the young lady gasped. "There's a forest in my window."

"Actually, there's a crack leading to a forest in front of your window, miss…?" said The Doctor.

"My name's Wendy," she breathed. "What's going on?"

"A crack in space and time has opened up in front of your window, and as a result your bedroom is now connected to another planet," The Doctor explained.

"That's dreadful!" the troubled girl moaned. "How do we close it?"

"I'm afraid it can't be closed just yet. You'll have to wait."

"I'm not staying in this dratted room," Wendy protested. "Wild beasts could climb right through that hole, and I'd be eaten! You seem to know what's going on, so I'm staying with you."

There was nothing The Doctor could do to stop the determined girl from coming through the rift. He even tried sticking his head through and shouting lame excuses like: 'It's much worse through here, rabid panthers are everywhere!' and when that didn't work: 'Have you ever seen a panther? They're terrifying!'

"Actually, I have seen panthers before and I doubt that I'll be safer alone in that room, mister…?"

"Doctor. I'm The Doctor."

"That doesn't answer my question," Wendy frowned.

"Yes it does," The Doctor replied in a matter-of-fact manner. "My name is The Doctor."

"That's rather a short name, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it is, but it makes it easier for you to call me."

"Doctor, were you flirting with Wendy?"

"Amy, please stop interrupting."

"No," Amy refused. She glared at The Doctor, silently demanding an answer.

"Fine. I wasn't flirting. I was simply explaining truthfully the benefits of a short name."

"Why would you want her to call you? She's so annoyingly persistent."

"You're one to talk."

The crack began to close behind Wendy, and she turned with a start.

"What's it doing?" she asked worriedly.

"It's narrowing," The Doctor replied, "but don't worry, it won't close all the way until you're back on the other side.

"How will I get through there?"

The crack had narrowed to the sliver it had been when The Doctor and the boys first found it.

"I have a device that will reopen it. It should be ready in half an hour."

The group headed back to the Tardis.

"So what sort of device?" Wendy asked as they walked.

"It's called a sonic. It operates with sound," The Doctor explained. "If I put it on the right setting, it should open the crack for a few minutes."

"Would the crack be able to reopen?"

"No," The Doctor reassured her. "Once it shuts back, it's gone forever."

"So I better get through in those few minutes, eh?"

"Basically."

"Where am I, exactly? What are these boys doing here?"

"The crack in your bedroom wasn't the only one. Several other cracks converged on the island, each leading to a different point in time and space. These boys are from Victorian London."

"Why do all the cracks meet here?"

The Doctor stopped walking.

"What did you say?" he asked.


	10. Chapter 9 - Trimentally Densental

"I asked why the cracks all meet here," Wendy repeated.

"That's a good question," The Doctor mused. "Brilliant, in fact. The answer might just solve this whole problem."

"How's that?"

"All of these cracks come from Earth and converge on this island," The Doctor said to himself. "Whatever caused these cracks is either here or on Earth, but what's the connection between these two places?"

"Sorry to interrupt your thoughts," Wendy cut in, "but what sort of thing causes those cracks?"

"Usually a massive force, like an explosion. Something big enough to tear the fabric of space and time."

"Well, I don't think there are any explosions here. It must be back on Earth."

"That's the thing about temporal rifts, Wendy. Their cause can happen at any point in space or time and echo forwards or back. It doesn't need to be happening right now."

"Um… okay. Could it have been a bomb from the World War a few years back?"

"Not big enough."

"Not even an atomic bomb?"

"No, it wouldn't have reached this side of the universe. In fact, nothing should have reached this side of the universe. It would have to be a force the size of a planet."

"Like what?"

"No matter," The Doctor shrugged. "There's nothing we can do at the moment. All we can do is return these people to their proper times and close the cracks."

The Doctor and Wendy started walking again and Wendy twiddled her thumbs.

"This whole situation is really quite absurd," she said. "You say we're on the other side of the universe, and you talk about time and space, yet you still seem to know a lot about the Earth. Who are you?"

"I told you, I'm The Doctor."

"But what does that mean? Doctor of what? How do you know so much about what's happening?"

"I'm a doctor of a lot of things. A scientist, if you will. I specialize in matters of space and time."

Wendy couldn't help but scoff at his last statement.

"And where do you get a degree for that?"

"Gallifrey."

"Is that on Earth?" Wendy teased.

"No, it's my home planet."

Wendy froze.

"Y-you mean… you're an alien?" She gaped. "You look human."

"I'm a Time Lord," The Doctor explained. "We're very similar to humans, but with a few internal differences and extra abilities."

"Like, what sort of internal differences?"

The Doctor was surprised she didn't ask about his abilities first.

"I have four kidneys and two hearts."

"Good Lord! How do they all fit in there?" Wendy eyed his slim figure.

"I'm bigger on the inside," The Doctor joked. "And so is my Tardis, if you'd like to see."

"Your what?"

"My spaceship. That's where we're headed. You're welcome to come inside when we get there."

The two walked on until they reached the Tardis, where the boys were waiting impatiently. Wendy bent over laughing as soon as she saw the police box disguise.

"A police box? You travel through space in a wooden police box?"

"It's a disguise. Or it was supposed to be. The circuit broke when I landed on Earth in 1963," The Doctor explained.

Wendy glanced at The Doctor with a funny look. When he started to climb up the tree, she shouted up at him.

"Doctor, how am I going to fit in there?"

"Come see!" The Doctor hollered from inside the ship.

Wendy hesitated before climbing the tree and peering through the doors.

"It's a bit dark," she said.

"Oh, sorry!"

The Doctor flipped a switch on the console and the lights brightened. He smiled and gestured around the room like a showman.

"It's… it's huge!" Wendy squeaked.

She stepped into the Tardis and stood gaping.

"And it's tiny, too," she whispered. "How does it do that?"

"It's dimensionally transcendental."

"I see. So, you're innards are trimentally densental, too?"

"No," The Doctor laughed. "My kidneys are just really small."


	11. Chapter 10 - We're Gonna Fly

"Doctor, I'm starting to feel a bit dizzy," Wendy admitted. "Can we go somewhere more normal?"

"You're on a different planet, Wendy. Nothing's normal here."

"I know that. I just mean… something more normal than this place. You said this was an island, so can I go to the beach?"

"Oh, I wouldn't go there if I were you," The Doctor warned. "We've got a pirate infestation."

"Pirates? You're kidding!"

"Yeah, and there's a village of American Indians to the west."

"Sounds like 'Peter Pan'."

"Like what?"

"Peter Pan," Wendy repeated. "I was named after the girl from it."

"Hmm," The Doctor mused for a moment. "Is that a book? I'll have to read it."

"What, you mean you haven't?"

"No, it must've slipped past me. Is it a well-known story?"

"Only one of the most beloved of all time," Wendy replied. "That proves you're an alien right there."

The Doctor chuckled.

"I suppose you can go for a walk, but not alone," he insisted. "It's not safe anywhere you go, and I want someone to be with you."

The boys had joined Wendy and The Doctor in the Tardis by now, and Tootles immediately jumped up at the chance to go for another walk.

"I want to go! Can I go?" he asked.

"Tootles, you're the youngest. You can't go," Nibs said.

"Why can't he?" The Doctor asked. "If someone else goes with him he should be fine."

"Alright," Nibs grunted. "I'll go with him."

"Us, too!" The Twins chimed in.

"Whoa, hold on!" The Doctor said. "I'll need someone to stay and help me. I have to check the mechanical panel."

"I'll stay," Slightly volunteered.

The Doctor was a bit surprised, because Slightly was the one who had wanted to explore before. Perhaps he had seen enough of the island, or the Tardis had arisen his curiosity.

"Okay," The Doctor agreed. "The four of you go with Wendy, and please be careful. Slightly, I'll need your help with the console."

Slightly climbed onto The Doctor's shoulders and removed the cover of the mechanical panel.

"How does it look?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't know. Is there anything in particular that I'm looking for?"

"Disconnected wires, disjointed plugs, flashing red lights…"

"Everything looks intact, but I see some green lights. Is that okay?"

"Absolutely," The Doctor said. "Put the cover back on. As long as the lights are green then the mechanical panel is working."

Slightly did as instructed and climbed down from The Doctor's shoulders.

"Now what?" he asked.

"We can wait for the others to return, or we can join them."

"It's getting dark out. I think we should go find them."

"Rightio," The Doctor agreed. "Come on then."

The two left the Tardis and followed the trail they had used before. The sun was nearly set by the time they reached the middle of the island.

"Shouldn't we have found them by now?" Slightly asked.

"Yes. Something's wrong."

The Doctor bent over to examine the ground and stood up with a sigh.

"Something's very wrong. Can you smell that?"

"Yeah," Slightly said softly. "Something stinks."

"It's rum. Wendy and the others were taken by the pirates."

"Do all pirates like rum?"

"I don't know, but these ones sure do. The smell is everywhere. It's almost as if…"

"Almost as if what?"

"Slightly," The Doctor whispered, "Run."

"What?"

"Just run, Slightly! This is a trap!"

The two ran back in the direction of the Tardis as quickly as they could. Slightly hadn't noticed it before, but the shadows began creeping in around them now. The pirates had been waiting for them!

The pirates began to catch up with them just as the Tardis was within sight. The two skidded to a stop as they approached the tree and began their climb, with a few pirates just behind them. One of the pirates tried to catch Slightly by the ankle, but instead got a good kick in the face.

"Oh, good move!" The Doctor praised.

He was just inside the Tardis doors now, and pulled Slightly inside.

"We're not safe yet, come and help me pull a lever."

The Doctor ran to the console and Slightly followed.

"A lever?"

"Yeah," The Doctor smiled. "We're gonna fly!"


	12. Chapter 11 - Tick Tock

"Fly? How do you mean?" Slightly asked.

The pirates were climbing up the tree now, and Slightly realized he had forgotten to close the doors. Any minute they could step inside the Tardis.

"Yeah, do as I say," The Doctor commanded. "Pull the lever and hold on tight."

Slightly pulled the lever and the entire Tardis seemed to jostle around him. He snapped his eyes shut to keep from getting dizzy, and a moment after the movement stopped he felt a tap on the shoulder.

"Get up," The Doctor said. "Look around you."

"W-where are we?"

"On the ceiling. No, wait. Technically we are on the floor now, and we were on the ceiling before."

"What?"

"The Tardis landed upside down and I just increased the artificial gravity so we'd be standing on the floor again."

Slightly looked up and saw that what had been the floor before was now above him. He turned to look out the doors and gave a shout of surprise.

"Doctor…" Slightly gasped.

A very confused (and seemingly upside down) pirate looked into the Tardis.

"What the devil?!" he exclaimed. "You're on the bloomin' ceiling! How do you…?"

"We can fly," The Doctor replied with a smile.

He pulled another lever, that was easily within his reach now that the gravity was increased. The Tardis dematerialized and landed abruptly inside a dark room, and The Doctor rushed to close the doors.

"I don't know where we are just yet, so it's not safe to keep these open," he explained to the worried-looking Slightly. "Let's check the scanner."

He lowered the scanner to eye level and switched it on.

"We appear to be inside the ship somewhere. A cabin from the looks of it. Possibly the captain's."

"What if they find us?" Slightly asked.

"They won't, they're too busy handling the hostages."

"Hostages?"

"Yes, they took Wendy and the boys to lure me in and get revenge for the damage to their ship."

"So this is a rescue mission, right? How are we going to get them off the ship without being shot by pirates?"

The Doctor stood thinking for a few moments. An idea struck him and he ran out into the cabin. It was definitely the captain's cabin, which was perfect for his plan. He stepped back inside and walked over to the console. A small green light started flashing on the fabrication panel.

"Perfect! It's nearly done," he said. "As soon as it is, I have a brilliant plan."

"What is it?"

The Doctor gestured for Slightly to follow him out into the cabin. When they stepped out into the middle of the room he pointed to the big window at the back of the room.

"You see that window? When my sonic is ready I'm going to call a crocodile, and that croc is going to jump through that window, run out this door-"

The Doctor turned to point.

"…and onto the deck, where it will be fired upon by the pirates. We will then work our way over to the others and bring them back to the Tardis."

"That's insane!" Slightly protested. "There's no way that could work. Even if the crocodile does all that, there's no way of knowing it will distract the pirates long enough."

"Really? Let me reassure you!" The Doctor smirked. "Firstly, my sonic has an animal-luring setting, so the crocodile will definitely come. Secondly, that crocodile has already been fed human. I could tell by it's actions when the pirates tried to throw me overboard on my last visit. Therefore, it will follow the scent of human to get it's dinner-"

"Then it will come for me!" Slightly squawked.

"No, because you'll be waiting by the door, and on my signal you will open it and hide behind it. Therefore, it will go right past you and onto the deck where all the pirates are."

"How do you know they're on the deck?"

"Listen," The Doctor whispered. "They're all out there guarding Wendy and the boys."

Slightly put his ear to the wall and heard coughing and impatient grunts. They were waiting for The Doctor to come.

"How do we know the crocodile won't try to eat Wendy or something?"

"It'll go for the biggest person it sees," The Doctor explained. "One large human could last it for days."

"Ugh," Slightly shuddered.

"But don't worry, that croc won't get it's prey. The pirates will work together to fight it back. That's when we make a run for it and bring Wendy and the others to the Tardis."

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Absolutely," The Doctor lied.

He went back into the Tardis, followed by Slightly, to check the fabrication dispenser. The green light stopped blinking and a new sonic screwdriver popped up through a silver tube.

"Ooh! It's green," The Doctor said as he tested it. "Perfect for crocodile catching."

"I'm still not sure about this."

"That's perfectly understandable seeing as you don't know me, but I do, and I know that this will work."

The Doctor left the Tardis once more and poor Slightly, who was considerable dizzy from walking back and forth, followed him.

"Get ready to open the door," The Doctor ordered. "On my signal. Ready… and, GO!"

The Doctor pressed the sonic screwdriver and stepped aside as a monstrous crocodile jumped out of the water and came crashing through the window. It ran past Slightly, who was hiding behind the door as he was told, and out onto the deck.

Shouts and running could be heard on deck, but at the call of the captain the crew gathered to fight off the beast. Only a few of the pirates had guns, which would take too long to reload, so they mostly attacked with swords.

"Hurry!" The Doctor shouted, "I'll need your help if they're tied."

Slightly and The Doctor worked their way around the the pirates and thrashing crocodile to the mast, where the others were chained.

"Oh, good," The Doctor said.

"Good?" Wendy squeaked.

The Doctor caught Wendy's glance, which was filled with puzzlement, but he ignored her and pulled out his sonic. The chains clicked and dropped to the floor.

"Oi!" The captain shouted as he spotted them. "You're not getting away again!"

"Hurry! To the cabin!" the Doctor instructed the others

Wendy and the boys ran into the Tardis, but the Doctor glanced back at the captain, who was fumbling for his sword. Something was wrong. Why hadn't he got his sword out yet? Then the Doctor noticed it. The captain was missing his left hand.

The Doctor ran into the cabin and cracked the door behind him. He peered out to watch the crocodile's actions.

The reptilian beast was badly injured now, with several gashes around it's legs and jaws, but it kept fighting on, trying to work it's way to the edge of the ship.

"Crocodilian Reptilia," The Doctor said softly. "Such extraordinary persistence- and resilience! If it can make it to the edge, it should be able to survive in the water for much longer yet."

"Is there anything we can do to help it?" Wendy asked.

The Doctor shook his head sadly and closed the door.

"It's on it's own."


	13. Chapter 12 - The Chains of Piracy

"What's next in your big plan?" Wendy asked.

"I'll have to send the pirates home first," The Doctor began, "but before that I want all of you to be safe on the island."

"What!" Wendy protested. "I want to come with you."

"You can't; it's too dangerous. There's a small hole in my plan that might mean some of the pirates could get inside the Tardis."

"But what is your plan? Won't you tell me?"

"I'm going to use the Tardis' transmitter to expand my sonic's signal over the entire crack and then tow the ship through to France."

"Won't you need someone to hold the sonic in the transmitter while you fly the Tardis?" Wendy smirked. "You'll only have a short time to get through."

"Uh, I-"

"And how is this tub going to tow a whole ship?"

"Oi, I've towed planet Earth across the universe before, so don't you dare call my ship a tub! She's a whole lot bigger than you think."

"You've towed Earth? How?" Nibs asked.

"Yeah, it's a complicated process you wouldn't understand, but the Tardis is fully capable of towing massive objects. Unfortunately, there's no atmospheric shell to lock onto this time, so I'll have to use a chain," The Doctor explained, "which is the hole I mentioned, because they could climb up it and into this room. Slightly, would you fetch a chain for me? I have a box of them in the closet down that corridor over there."

Slightly nodded and scuttled down the corridor.

"Wait, which closet is it?" he shouted.

"Third room on the left, the closet is to the right of the door," The Doctor hollered back. "It will be the second box to the right on the fifth shelf up."

"How is he supposed to remember all that?" Wendy asked.

"He's only a few rooms away. He can holler if he has any questions."

Slightly reentered the console room just as the Tardis materialized on the island.

"Here!" he dropped the box with a thud. "That thing is HEAVY."

He turned and marched out the doors without another word.

"What's wrong with him?" The Doctor asked.

"I dunno," Nibs said. "Maybe he's mad that you made him get that heavy box."

"Or maybe he wanted to stay with you when you returned the pirates," Wendy added.

"Nah," The Doctor scoffed. "You're only guessing that because that's what's bothering you."

"Can I come, Doctor?"

"Only if you promise to follow all of my instructions, no matter what."

"Oh, I promise!" Wendy beamed.

Nibs leaned on the console and looked down at his boots.

"I guess this is goodbye for us, then," he said. "We'll see you later, Doctor."

He walked out of the Tardis without turning and gestured for the other boys to follow.

"They don't talk much, do they?" The Doctor observed. "Are they mad about something?"

"Favoritism," Wendy replied. "They think you're favoring me, and they're jealous."

"Oh, no, I'm not favoring you!" he laughed. "It's just… you openly stated that you wanted to come, and they were silent."

"Sure," Wendy said sarcastically. "Whatever you say. Now… how do we connect this chain?"

"Doctor, do you always favor pretty young girls like that?" Amy asked.

"Who said she was pretty?!"

"Well, she was, wasn't she?"

"I dunno. The Tardis must've thought so because she threw a jealous tantrum later on."

"Wow, she must have been really pretty, or one of you must have done something stupid, because the Tardis has never done that over me."

"Pond, stop flattering yourself."

"On one end of the chain should be a big hook, like on a tow truck. Find that and hand it to me," The Doctor instructed.

"Okay, got it!"

The Doctor connected the chain and walked over to open the Tardis doors.

"We'll have to fly over the ship and put the other end around the mast," he said. "Could you help me hold down a lever?"

"However do you manage on your own?" Wendy asked.

"I'm not usually on my own, and when I am, I avoid flying."

"Wendy gave the Doctor a funny look and glanced at the console.

"Then how do you get around?"

"Dematerialization. We can talk more about that later, but for now I need you to hold down that lever- there- and press the button next to it when I tell you."

The Doctor and Wendy worked together to fly the topsy-turvy Tardis to the space just above the pirate ship. Once more the Doctor walked to the doors, this time peering over the edge. The mast was scorched from the flaming arrows, and the Doctor was worried that it might not hold. He took a nervous breath and picked up the chain.

"I'm gonna go down, okay, Wendy?" he called over his shoulder.

"Be careful!" she shouted back.

The Doctor took another deep breath and dived over the edge, grasping the chain and preparing to catch the mast. He grabbed the mast just above the yard and carefully placed his feet down.

"You okay, Doctor?" Wendy hollered down.

The yard wobbled beneath the Doctor's feet and he gripped the mast tighter.

"I'm fine, just working out where to connect this thing," he replied. "The yard is a bit loose, though."

"The what?"

"The yard! It's the thing that the sails hang from. I think the ropes got burnt when the boys shot their flaming arrows at it."

The Doctor decided to connect the chain to the mast, just below the yard. He bent down to do so, when the ropes started creaking.

"Uh-oh."

The ropes to one side of the yard snapped, and the Doctor dangled from one end of it.

The pirates below had noticed him by now, and the captain sent two men to get him. Wendy heard the commotion and went to the doors to see what was happening.

"Wendy!" The Doctor groaned. "L-lower the Tardis!"


	14. Chapter 13 - Cannon Fire!

"Lower… the Tardis," the Doctor repeated.

"How do I do that?" Wendy asked.

"Take that lever that you were holding and push it down. When the Tardis is level with me, I'll jump in."

She rushed as quickly as she could to the console and jerked the lever down. The Tardis went a bit further than the Doctor had wanted, so he'd have to let go of the yard before jumping in.

The Doctor evaluated the distance and then jumped.

"Blimey, you made it!" Wendy gasped.

"What, did you doubt it?"

"Well, I did push the lever a bit too far," she admitted.

"Yeah, I noticed," the Doctor mumbled. "But that's fine."

He hobbled over to the console and checked the settings.

"Are you okay?" Wendy asked. She eyed his left leg as he walked.

"Oh, it's just a slight sprain in my ankle. I'll be fine after a few minutes," The Doctor lied. "Could you come hear and hold the sonic in the transmitter?"

"Sure."

The Doctor set the helmic regulator while Wendy held the sonic, and in a moment the crack in the sky began to open, lowering it's jaw-like structure to the surface of the ocean. The crewmen that had been sent to catch the Doctor froze, staring through the rift.

"It's opening!" men cried down below.

"Now, Doctor! We don't have much time," Wendy reminded him.

The Doctor had been standing still with his head cocked slightly, listening to the screams. They were shouts of genuine terror. Why didn't they want to go home?

"Doctor!"

The Doctor took a deep breath as if he had just woken from a dream. He set the controls and the Tardis flew slowly through the open rift. After they had passed through, the crack snapped shut behind them.

"I don't think you're doing as well as you say," Wendy commented . "You're pale and something seems to be troubling you."

"Did you notice," The Doctor said, "that they were screaming as the crack opened? You'd think they'd want to-"

A loud shot echoed through the air and splintering wood could he heard outside the Tardis.

"Oh."

"What is it?"

"Cannon fire. They were being followed by the navy when they sailed through the rift." The Doctor sat down by the console and put his hands over his face. "How could I have been so stupid? The captain said something about the navy when I offered to take them home but I didn't pick up on it. That's why they were so glad to be on the island."

"Well that's perfectly understandable. It's not like he told you that the navy was right on the other side."

"He implied it, and that should've been enough."

Wendy scoffed and sat down next to the Doctor.

"We can't all be Sherlock Holmes all the time. There's nothing we can do now, so what do you say we get back to the island?"

"No, I brought them here and I'm not leaving until they're out of harm's way. The chain is still connected, so we can tow them closer to home," The Doctor insisted. "Unless you think we should disconnect the Tardis and have a chat with the navy."

"Uh, yeah, I prefer the first option."

"Good! For once in my life we're going with the easier option."

He stood up and fiddled with the lever that Wendy had been holding before. The Tardis began to move again.

Down below, the pirates resumed their slow climb up the mast. When they reached the Tardis, one of them gripped the edge and peered into the console room.

"Doctor!" he shouted. "We want a word with you."

The Doctor came over and crouched in front of him.

"Yes?"

"The captain wishes to speak with you on deck."

"What you really mean is that he wants me to come down to the deck so he can kill me, am I right?"

The second man reluctantly nodded.

"Just as I thought." The Doctor stood up. "No thank you, boys, I think I'll stay here. I've already died once today and that's quite enough."

He limped to the console and ignored the men. They weren't a threat, they were too timid, and he figured they would report the result to their captain. This would buy just enough time for the Tardis to tow the ship to safety.

"What do you mean you've died once today?" Wendy asked.

"Do you remember me mentioning special abilities that Time Lords have?"

"Vaguely."

"One of them is being able to renew our bodies. It's called regeneration. I was dying, less then a day ago, and I regenerated."

"So, you didn't literally die, then."

"No, but it feels like dying."

Wendy glanced down at the Doctor's ankle, noticing that he was leaning against the console for support.

"Are you sure that's just a sprain?" Wendy asked, looking down at his ankle.

"Well, maybe a small twist. It'll be fine."

"Let me have a look at it."

"No!"

"Really, you call yourself a Doctor but you can't even take care of yourself. Let me see it."

The Doctor refused once more and went to see if the two pirates were back on deck yet. The ship was free from the navy now, and he needed to disconnect the chain.

"Doctor, surely you're not thinking about climbing back up there with a whole crew of pirates watching you. They'll shoot you or something."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Disconnect this end of the chain and leave it for the pirates to handle."

The Doctor reluctantly agreed, muttering something about the chain being made from a special material that won't be discovered for another two hundred years, and walked back to the console.

"Let's go pick up the boys."


	15. Chapter 14 - Madman

"Doctor, don't you think we should take a break first?" Wendy

suggested. "You're still limping. Here, let me have a look at it." She

patted a seat near the console, insisting that he sit.

"No, I'm fine, really. I just disturbed the bruise walking around."

"Doctor, please stop lying to me. It won't do you any good."

"Alright," the Doctor sighed as he sat down.

Wendy requested for him to prop up his leg and he did as

instructed. "Good Lord!" she gasped. "First you say it's twisted, then

you say it's sprained, and now you want me to believe that it's

bruised when it's quite obviously broken!"

"I didn't want to worry you," The Doctor said. "I'm perfectly

capable of handling myself. I'm not called 'Doctor' for no reason."

"I can see that. You just handled a whole pirate ship by yourself. Do

you do this sort of thing often?"

"Not pirate ships, usually, but spaceships, yes."

Wendy plopped down in the seat next to the Doctor with a sigh.

"You're mad, you are. This whole situation is mad. It's just like that

play I mentioned."

"Tell me about this play. What happens in it?"

"Well, a girl named Wendy meets a boy called Peter Pan, who can

fly, and he takes her away to a magical island called Neverland

where children never grow up. They have plenty of adventures with

Peter's friends, the Lost boys- fighting pirates, saving Indians and

talking to mermaids. It's a lovely story really, but then Wendy

remembers her family and decides it's time for her to return home

and grow up."

"What does the Wendy girl do when they fight the pirates?"

"In some adaptions, I'm not sure about the original, she gets caught

by the pirates as bait for Peter. Then Peter comes and tricks the

pirates, and the evil Captain Hook gets eaten by a crocodile."

"That sounds like when I set the crocodile loose on the deck!" the

Doctor exclaimed. "Wendy, I don't mean to alarm you, but I think

you're the Wendy from the play."

"How is that possible? Mr. Barrie wrote the play before I was born!"

"This is a time machine, remember? That's how we're going to leave

18th century France." The Doctor pressed a few buttons on the

console.

"Oh, good Lord!" Wendy wheezed. "I'm the Wendy?"

"Yes, you are." The Doctor leaned and faced her, casually checking

her reaction to be sure she wouldn't pass out.

"But my mother named me after her."

"Your mother named you after yourself."

"That's just weird."

"I know!" the Doctor smiled. "Come on, let's get back to the island.

I'll pay Mr. Barrie a visit later."

"Can I go with you when you do?"

"Perhaps. First we need to go help the Lost Boys."

"Oh, Lord, I never realized. I feel so stupid," Wendy slapped herself

lightly on the cheek.

"Well, that's understandable. You're out of your time, everything's

confusing to you here."

"But they even have the same names!"

"They do? Fascinating! I'll have to remember to tell them to Mr.

Barrie."

"But, Doctor, this means you're Peter Pan."

"That's nice. Anything else I should know?"

He was looking back at the console again, seemingly ignoring her.

This bothered Wendy and she leaned in to block his view.

"I don't think you understand what this means," she said. She put her

hand on his arm to get him to listen. "You're one of the most

beloved characters of all time- especially in England."

The Doctor chuckled. "Oh, you'd be surprised how many

characters are actually me. Have you ever heard the story of King

Arthur?"

"Don't tell me- you pulled a sword out of some stone in Old

England."

"No, but I know the fellow who did."

"What, are you Merlin?" Wendy's jaw dropped.

"It's ridiculous how often my sonic screwdriver is mistaken for a

magic wand," the Doctor joked.

"You don't look like a wizard to me."

"Well, I've changed my face since then."

"Good Lord, Doctor! Every time you open your mouth you seem

stranger and stranger."

"Could you please stop saying 'Lord'?"

"Yeah, I think I just need a moment to myself. Is there a way I can

get a glass of water?"

"There's a kitchen through that corridor, there," the Doctor pointed.

"I'm not exactly sure where the water cooler is. It probably got

knocked around quite a bit when the Tardis landed upside down."

"Er, right." Wendy put one hand up to her head and closed her eyes

for two seconds. This whole business was so dizzying!

"Off you go," the Doctor urged. "You need some water. I think it's

starting to show in your face. Do dehydrated humans normally look

that pale?"

Wendy smiled weakly and walked to the kitchen. "Silly Doctor,"

she thought. "I'm in shock, not dehydrated. I suppose nothing's ever

had that affect on him."


	16. Chapter 15 - Hesitation

A few minutes later Wendy reentered the console room to find the

Doctor doing something strange… and alien. He was sitting in the

same spot as before with his right hand on his injured ankle, only,

his hand was glowing.

"What are you doing?" Wendy asked.

"Oh, Wendy! Hello. I was just using residual cellular energy to heal

my ankle," he explained. "Normally I don't waste energy like this,

but time is more important right now and my injury could get in the

way later."

"I see. What's residual cellular energy?"

"It's a Time Lord thing."

"Right!" Wendy laughed. "Why do I even bother asking?"

"I can't count how often I've said that to myself since I met you,"

Amy remarked.

"Come on, Pond, I'm not that unusual," the Doctor scoffed.

"Besides, you're from the 21st century. Surely you'd understand

these things a bit better than a girl from the 20th."

"Doctor, I haven't even figured out my own world yet. Figuring out

yours is much harder."

"You make a good point." The Doctor patted her on the head. "I'll

do my best to explain things better in the future."

"So, is the chain disconnected now?" Wendy asked.

"Yes it is. The pirates are back to France, where they belong, and we

are free."

"Where to next? The island of Never-Never Land?" Wendy teased.

The Doctor smirked as he entered coordinates into the computer.

He pulled a lever and the Tardis began to hum. It left France behind

with a thrum and reappeared on the rift-filled island they had flown

away from minutes before.

"It's hard to believe we flew through a gap from an island on another

planet to the Atlantic ocean in the 18th century," Wendy said.

"I suppose you'll be glad to get home, then?" the Doctor asked

softly.

"Not necessarily. I rather like the wild adventures, but I wouldn't

want to defy the ending of my own story."

"Hmm," The Doctor looked down at his shoes sadly. "Did this

Wendy ever see Peter Pan again?"

"Read it for yourself, sometime. I don't like giving away endings."

"I've never liked reading them, myself. I can only rewrite time if I

don't read it, and I hate for certain things to end."

"What do you mean?"

"If I read the play and the ending says Wendy never sees Peter again,

then I can't see you again without defying the story, like you said."

"Not if you don't tell Mr. Barrie the whole story. Then the ending is

just fiction."

"Wendy, you really are brilliant," the Doctor sighed. "I hope we

meet again in the future- or the past."

"It's not over yet, Doctor. We need to help the Indians and the

boys."

The Doctor perked up momentarily. "Right! Let's go find them."

He ran to the Tardis doors and opened them to see Nibs, Slightly,

Tootles and the Twins standing right in front of them. "Hello! How

long have we been gone? Not too long I hope."

"It was more than five minutes," Nibs said.

"Yeah, more like five hours," Slightly sighed.

"Ooh, sorry. The helmic regulator has been giving me trouble."

Wendy walked up behind the Doctor and looked over his shoulder

at the boys. "So what's next?" she asked.

"Goodness, you do like to have things planned out in advance, don't

you?" The Doctor remarked.

Wendy gave him 'a look', which made him feel uneasy, and he

hesitated before answering properly. He looked off in the direction

of the Indian village, and then towards the rift that Wendy climbed

through.

"Well, if we return to the village first my sonic might burn out and

leave you all stranded. Whereas, if I return all of you first, the sonic

will just need a short break before returning to the village."

"You mean, we're going to have to say goodbye?"

"Or I can risk burning out my sonic and you'll be stuck with me,"

The Doctor replied.

"I say we risk it," Nibs said.

The Doctor smiled sadly and put his hands on Nibs' shoulders. "If

we do that, there is also a chance that this planet will be consumed

by the cracks, and become stuck inside a place called the Void,

ceasing to exist in our reality."

Nibs' eyes widened and the others shuffled nervously. "What's the

Void?" he asked.

"A place between universes where nothing exists. Some people call

it Hell."

"I call a lot of things Hell," Wendy interrupted. "Cardiff included.

You can send everyone else back, but I'm not going home."

"Wendy, you'll have to," the Doctor insisted.

"We'll see about that."

"Fine. We will see. But first…" The Doctor turned to face Nibs and

the others. "I'll have to send you boys home."

The boys moaned at the Doctor's statement, and Slightly started

crying. "But you can't send us home yet, Doctor!" he said. "We'll

never get to see you again."

"Oh, that's not true," the Doctor said softly. He flicked Slightly's

chin with his finger. "I've got a little blue box that can travel

anywhere in time and space, so I might visit you five minutes after

you walk through the crack. Who knows?"

Slightly showed a half-smile and looked down at his toes. "I don't

suppose we could go have an adventure when you do?"

"Absolutely!" the Doctor agreed. "I find it hard to avoid adventures

even when I want to. I'm like an adventure magnet."


	17. Chapter 16 - Never Say Goodbye

The Doctor asked Nibs to show him the crack they had entered

through, and the group marched off. The crack was only a few

meters away from the Indian village and appeared to be emerging

from a small cliff face.

"Here it is," Nibs said. "Just the same as before. I meant to ask- how

can a crack swallow a planet?"

"It grows and grows, and eventually becomes so powerful that it

pulls itself in, taking everything in its shadow with it."

"That's horrible," Wendy shuddered. "How do we know we won't

end up in this Void place?"

"Because you step through into your own world before the shadow

encloses you." The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his

jacket pocket and scanned the crack. "Normal readings. It should be

safe to pass through. Take a few steps back and I'll open it. You'll

only have two minutes to pass through, so you'll have to be quick

about it."

"Wait, Doctor!" Nibs said. "What about goodbyes?"

"Goodbyes?" The Doctor turned and stared Nibs in the face. "This

isn't goodbye. There's no such thing. The day we say goodbye we'll

never see each other again, so we must never say goodbye. You got

that?" Nibs nodded. "Good. Now you run through that crack, all of

you, and I promise I will see you again someday. I should warn you

though, I might have a different face."

The Doctor pointed his sonic at the crack and pressed the button.

The crack began to open and a white light shined through.

"What do you mean 'a different face'?" Tootles asked.

"No time to explain," the Doctor said. "Hurry through!"

The boys ran through the crack shouting multiple variations of

'See you soon' and 'Until next time'. The Doctor and Wendy had

just enough time to wave before the crack closed.

"I seem to remember the crack that the pirates went through took

longer to close," Wendy noted.

"It was a bigger crack."

"Mine's a very small crack. I suppose we won't have time for

farewells at all."

"We'll barely have enough time for you to get through," the Doctor

warned. "You'll have to be very quick about it."

"We'll see."

Wendy took the Doctor's arm and they strode in the direction of

the lagoon. The Doctor had been slightly preoccupied with his plans

when they first found Wendy's rift, so he couldn't remember it's

precise location.

"There it is, Doctor!" Wendy pointed. She ran up to it with a smile

and waited anxiously for the Doctor to catch up.

"You're excited all of a sudden," the Doctor observed. "Getting

homesick?"

"Yeah! Open it."

The Doctor squinted his eyes at Wendy with suspicion. Something

wasn't right. Why was she so anxious for him to send her home?

"O-kay," he said slowly.

He held his screwdriver up to the crack and pressed the button, just

like before. When the rift opened he gestured for Wendy to walk

through.

"Go on, then," he said. "Home sweet home. I'll see you shortly."

"No," Wendy smirked.

"What?" The Doctor groaned. "It's closing! Don't make me push

you."

"No," Wendy said as she walked away from the crack. The crack

snapped shut and disappeared, leaving the Doctor staring at Wendy

with astonishment.

"What did you do that for? You're stuck with me now!"

"I know," Wendy smiled. "It's like you said, 'Never say goodbye',

and I can't leave you without thinking that word."

"But-"

"Goodbye just means leaving, and leaving means not seeing you,"

she continued. "At least, not for a long time, because I know that

machine of yours. It never lands when you want it to. I could be left

for years alone, and there's nothing you could say to convince me

that's not possible."

"Well…"

"It's happened before, hasn't it?"

"Only once, but the Tardis took me to right when she needed me.

My machine isn't faulty, she's intelligent. She knows when's best."

"And what if your machine decides that the best time for you to see

me again is never," Wendy cried, "and she lands in Cardiff after my

death or something?"

"That won't happen. I don't know how, but the Tardis knows me and

she cares. She'd never intentionally do anything to break my hearts."

The Doctor stepped forward and hugged Wendy, patting her back.

"It's hard to leave, I know," he whispered, "but everyone must leave

eventually, and sometimes it''s best to leave sooner rather than late."

"No," Wendy pulled away from his hold. "The longer you stay with

someone the more memories you have to hold on to. I'm not leaving

you until the last possible second."

"Was the first word you ever learned 'no', by any chance?"


	18. Chapter 17 - One Last Problem

When the Doctor and Wendy arrived at the Indian village everyone

crowded around them to hear what the Doctor had to say. He was the

latest gossip, being a man of seemingly great abilities, and they

wanted to see if anything would come of it.

"I need to speak with your chief," he announced. "Where is he?"

"I am here," the chief said as he approached. "Have you come to

fulfill your promise?"

"Indeed I have, but I will need your full cooperation for this to work.

I'll need everyone to remain inside their homes while the crack is

opening. If anyone steps outside the village they will be stranded

here, or in a place called the Void, forever."

"I will be sure that everyone stays inside," the chief agreed. "You do

what you must, but if any of my people are hurt I will see that you

suffer."

The Doctor nodded seriously and walked to the edge of the village

where a thin white crack ran along the ground. Wendy ran to his side

and the villagers scuttled into their tepees.

"There's not actually a chance that something could go wrong, is

there?" Wendy asked.

"Only if my sonic screwdriver burns out before they're through.

Some of the people could be left behind."

"What's the likelihood of that happening?" Wendy gulped.

"Very slim! Try not to worry too much- it can mess with the

frequency."

The Doctor waited for everyone to gather inside their homes

before pointing his sonic screwdriver at the crack. He pressed the

button and ordered Wendy to step back. The crack began opening

and for a moment a white light shone through the forest. The crack

darkened and spread across the entire ground beneath the village.

Just before the village was completely out of view a static pulse

burst through the Doctor's screwdriver and it fell from his hands into

the crack. The village faded from view and the crack snapped shut.

"What happened?" Wendy asked.

The Doctor clutched his wrist in pain for a moment and then

looked up. "My sonic burnt out," he explained. "The Indians

should've made it through just fine, but now there's a fried

screwdriver somewhere in Native America."

"Is that bad? Will it change history or something?"

"Nah, it's just metal scrap now, but I'll be needing a new sonic."

Wendy sat down underneath a nearby tree. "I suppose it's just you

and me now," she said. "Where to next?"

"The Tardis!" The Doctor jumped up and looked in its direction.

"Well, obviously, but then where are we going?"

"No, I mean there's something wrong with the Tardis! Can't you

hear that?"

Wendy stopped to listen for a moment. "No, I-"

"Shh! There it goes again."

Wendy listened again and heard a deep thrum echo through the air.

She didn't know it, but it was the sound of the cloister bell.

"Oh no, that is not good!" the Doctor moaned. "Not good at all.

Come with me."

They ran to the Tardis and the Doctor turned on the scanner to

view the problem.

"Why have you stopped?" Amy asked. "Aren't you going to tell me

the rest?"

"It's a whole other story, Amy, better saved for a rainy day."

"What do you mean 'a whole other story'? Do you mean you had

two adventures with her?"

"It's nothing to fret over, Amy," the Doctor assured her. "I've had

more than that many adventures with you. I'll just skip to the end."

Amy crossed her arms and looked away from him. "No," she said.

"I don't want to hear it unless you tell me everything."

"Then I suppose it's time for another trip!" the Doctor said excitedly.

He jumped up and adjusted controls on the console. "Where to?

How about the lost moon of Poosh? I've heard a lot about it, but I've

only ever seen it from a distance."

"You really won't tell me, will you?"

"Not now- maybe some other time. What do you say to Poosh?"

"No, I'd rather not. You can skip to the end of the story if you

must."

"Mind you," the Doctor mumbled, "when I say 'the end'…"

"…what you really mean is 'the most recent encounter'."

"Exactly!" he smiled. "There's never truly an end to anything,

especially with time travel."

Amy sighed. "He keeps saying that to himself, but he knows it's

not true," she thought.


	19. Chapter 18 - Raggedy Pan

The Tardis landed in Cardiff, on the corner of a sidewalk, right

where a police box would normally be found. Fortunately it was late

at night, so no one had seen it land.

You're sending me home, Doctor?" Wendy asked sadly.

"I'm afraid so," he replied. "There's no reason for you to stay with

me, and your family will be missing you. Where's your house?"

"Over there." Wendy pointed to an apartment building a block away.

"Alright, then. It's within walking distance. Would you like me to

escort you?"

Wendy wrapped her arm through his and the two started walking.

The apartment building was a considerably nice one, especially for

the 1950s, the Doctor thought. The exterior was brick and small

balconies came off from some of the rooms.

"My apartment is the one up there." Wendy pointed to a room with a

balcony three stories up. "That's the window the crack appeared in."

"Gone now," the Doctor noted. "That means we've done our job

right."

"Wait a minute, Doctor. You forgot to mention what was wrong with

the Tardis!" Amy interrupted. "Why did the cloister bell go off?"

"Oh, she was exhausted. It's unusual for me to fly her instead of

dematerializing, and the engine almost phased."

"Like your sonic screwdriver that got fried from overuse?"

"Exactly."

Amy sat down in the same spot she had been before and motioned

for the Doctor to sit down next to her. "How did you fix it?" she

asked.

"It's like what I said to you when I left your garden the first time. 'A

five minute hop into the future should do it'. Only, it was far more

than five minutes."

"Yeah, you were twelve years late."

"No, um… I meant with the cloister bell issue," the Doctor corrected.

"Wendy and I ended up on the moon in the year 3000. I had told you

I went to the moon, remember? The second time I came back?"

"So that's what your second adventure was!" Amy blurted. "I

mean… I still haven't forgiven you for leaving me."

"I can see that. You keep bringing it up."

"Take me to a planet and maybe I'll forgive you."

"Some other time," the Doctor replied.

"Alright, then. Explain to me why the Peter Pan story is so much

different then your adventure."

"When I visited Mr. Barrie I left out certain details. A majority of

everyone's favorite elements of the story are all his ideas, that he

invented to fill the gaps I left. He took the crocodile from my

adventure and made it swallow a clock, symbolizing time catching

up with the death-fearing captain, and he took the island setting and

combined it with a concept he had dreamed of since his brother died;

Neverland, the island where children go off to so they never have to

grow up." The Doctor paused for a moment to think about it. "It's a

brilliant idea, really."

"Are you alright, Doctor?" Amy asked. He had mumbled his last few

sentences, and she thought the subject might be bothering him.

"Fine!" the Doctor insisted. "I'm absolutely fine. I just had an

interesting thought, that's all."

"Perhaps it's best to forget about it for a while," Amy suggested.

"You're still missing her, aren't you?"

"It's not that. I was just remembering why I travel."

"Right." Amy pretended to understand. "Do you want to tell me

about it?"

The Doctor looked up at her and sighed. "I've been told that I

travel because I'm running away, for so many different reasons, by

so many people. They say I run from the past, the future, and things

that I've done." He paused for a moment and then smiled. "The truth

is that I love the past. History has always been fascinating to me; it's

in my nature as a Time Lord. And I'm excited about the future

because, for me, my future is making history; and I'm not ashamed

of anything I've done, because I have had the privilege of being part

of wonderful things- like Peter Pan."

Amy smiled and patted his knee. "So, basically, what you're

saying is that you've had an epiphany."

"Basically."

"Can we go to a planet now? I really want to see a real planet. Not

just spaceships strapped to giant star whales."

"Of course," the Doctor agreed. "But first I want to stop off

somewhere."

"Where would that be?"

"The Delirium Archive! It helps me recover from emotional

epiphanies."

"Delirium," Amy repeated. "I suppose that makes sense. Let's go!"

"Let's see… 63rd century, perhaps?" the Doctor thought aloud.

"Hopefully the helmic regulator will get it right."

"Sounds good to me, Raggedy Pan!" Amy joked.

Amy and the Doctor stood around the console and braced

themselves for the ride. The Tardis spun wildly through the time

vortex and Amy clutched the console tighter. The Doctor winked at

her and readied to pull a lever.

"Geronimo!" they screamed.


End file.
